--- title: "First Direct vs Tesco Bank: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?" description: "Is First Direct or Tesco Bank more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Personal loan lenders set in the United Kingdom. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/first-direct-vs-tesco-bank-credit-cards" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # First Direct vs Tesco Bank: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom? Is First Direct or Tesco Bank more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Personal loan lenders set in the United Kingdom. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: First Direct and Tesco Bank - **Competitive set**: Personal loan lenders - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **First Direct Share of Search**: 1.5% - **Tesco Bank Share of Search**: 31.9% ## Is First Direct or Tesco Bank more popular in search? - In September 2026, Tesco Bank had more branded searches than First Direct among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom. Tesco Bank had about 111,000 branded searches, while First Direct had 5,200. Tesco Bank made up 31.9% of all personal loan lender searches we track, and First Direct accounted for 1.5%. - Tesco Bank was ahead of First Direct in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, First Direct’s share of searches among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom moved from 1.1% to 1.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3.6K to 5.2K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Tesco Bank’s share of searches among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom moved from 34.4% to 31.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 112K to 111K. ## Top personal loan lenders in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, First Direct was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Tesco Bank was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. First Direct was listed before Tesco Bank in three out of four answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | M&S Bank | 1st | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | First Direct | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Nationwide | 3rd | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Santander | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Tesco Bank | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | HSBC | 6th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Sainsbury's Bank | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Lloyds Bank | 8th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Zopa | 9th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Novuna | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Admiral | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Barclays | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | NatWest | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Monzo | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Halifax | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about personal loan lenders - Asked ChatGPT "Where can I get the best personal loan in the UK?": 1. Nationwide, 2. Santander, 3. First Direct - Asked ChatGPT "Which UK lenders have the lowest rates on a £10,000 loan?": 1. M&S Bank, 2. First Direct, 3. Tesco Bank, 4. Sainsbury's Bank, 5. Santander - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best way to borrow money for a car or home improvements in the UK?": named none of the brands we track - Searched Google, AI Overview "personal loan": 1. M&S Bank, 2. First Direct, 3. HSBC, 4. Lloyds Bank - Searched Google, AI Overview "best personal loans": 1. M&S Bank, 2. Nationwide, 3. Tesco Bank, 4. Santander, 5. Zopa Not named in any answer: Novuna, Admiral, Barclays, NatWest, Monzo and Halifax. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 27, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom personal loan lenders in September 2026? - In September 2026, Tesco Bank gained share of searches among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom, from 31.3% to 31.9%. - In September 2026, First Direct rose from 15th to 14th among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom. ## Month by month | Month | First Direct estimated searches | First Direct Share of Search | First Direct rank | Tesco Bank estimated searches | Tesco Bank Share of Search | Tesco Bank rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 3.6K | 1.1% | 15 | 112K | 34.4% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | 3K | 1% | 15 | 94.2K | 32.9% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 3K | 1.1% | 15 | 91.5K | 34.6% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 4.5K | 1.2% | 15 | 115K | 30.8% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | 3.8K | 1.1% | 15 | 115K | 34.3% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 4.5K | 1.3% | 15 | 115K | 33% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 3.6K | 1.1% | 15 | 114K | 33.4% | 1 | | May 2026 | 3.8K | 1.1% | 15 | 111K | 33.6% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | 3.6K | 1.2% | 15 | 94.2K | 30.6% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 4.3K | 1.3% | 15 | 111K | 34.1% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | 4.9K | 1.4% | 15 | 111K | 31.3% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | 5.2K | 1.5% | 14 | 111K | 31.9% | 1 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using First Direct’s and Tesco Bank’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **First Direct**: Measured on the search terms “first direct loan” and “first direct personal loan”, summed into one figure. - **Tesco Bank**: Measured on the search terms “tesco bank loan”, “tesco loan” and “tesco personal loan”, summed into one figure. - [First Direct profile](/demand/uk/brands/first-direct) - [Tesco Bank profile](/demand/uk/brands/tesco-bank-credit-cards) - [All personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-personal-loan-lenders): The set both shares are measured inside, 15 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is First Direct or Tesco Bank more popular in search? In September 2026, Tesco Bank had more branded searches than First Direct among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom. Tesco Bank had about 111,000 branded searches, while First Direct had 5,200. Tesco Bank made up 31.9% of all personal loan lender searches we track, and First Direct accounted for 1.5%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "First Direct vs Tesco Bank: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/first-direct-vs-tesco-bank-credit-cards This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/first-direct-vs-tesco-bank-credit-cards. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.